The Selous Scouts were
formed in 1974 following Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of
Independence (UDI) in November 1965. By 1973 guerrilla activity had
developed into a major campaign, strengthened by the Portuguese
withdrawal from neighboring Mozambique. The Selous Scouts, named after
Fredrick Selous, a close friend of the country’s founder Cecil Rhodes,
were originally trained as a tracker-combat unit with their prime role
being one of deep penetration and intelligence gathering.

Selous Scouts conduct intell gathering
from a LP/OP.

At the height of the
war in 1976, the Selous Scouts, which numbered about 700 men, were under
the command of Colonel Reid-Daly, a Rhodesian who had served with the
SAS in Malaya. They worked in small units of four to six men who would
parachute or heli-hop into the bush in hot pursuit of ZIPRA and ZANLA
guerrillas. The Selous Scouts were lightly equipped, carrying mostly
ammunition and water which enabled them to quickly track and close on
the fleeing guerrillas. Once spotted, the Scouts would call for soldiers
of C Squadron Rhodesian SAS to parachute forward of the guerrillas in
order to cut them off. The Selous Scouts’ methods were so effective
they accounted for more guerrillas than the rest of the Rhodesian Army
put together. Along with the Rhodesian SAS, the Selous Scouts were
disbanded in 1980when the Prime Minister Ian Smith handed over to Robert Mugabe’s
government and Rhodesia became Zimbabwe. Most of the Selous Scouts made
their way into the South African Army.